Falcons take Kyle Pitts with No. 4 pick, highest a tight end has been drafted in Super Bowl era
Kyle Pitts did something on Thursday night that no tight end has done in the Super Bowl era.
The Atlanta Falcons selected the Florida Gators’ star tight end with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, making him the highest tight end to ever be selected in the modern era.
This dude can straight up ball. 😱
📺 NFL Draft on NFL Network and ESPN pic.twitter.com/tgWyGOo5Oe— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 30, 2021
Pitts was the first non-quarterback to go off the board at the draft in Cleveland, following Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance.
He racked up 770 receiving yards and had 12 touchdowns last season with the Gators, both career-highs, in just eight games.
“I think I can add a lot [to the Falcons],” Pitts said on the NFL after he was selected, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You have two great receivers on the outside, a veteran quarterback. I feel like I can learn a lot. With me learning the playbook, that I’ll be able to make [an] impact early.”
How many other tight ends have gone in the top-10?
One other tight end, Ron Kramer, has gone No. 4 overall in the draft, though he did so back in 1957 to the Green Bay Packers. Mike Ditka went No. 5 overall in 1961.
Since 1967, however, only 14 other tight ends have gone in the top-10.
Riley Odoms held the previous record, as he went to Denver with the No. 5 overall pick in 1972. Former Iowa standout T.J. Hockenson was the most recent to do so, as he was selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 8 overall pick in 2019.
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